


Toaru Addenda

by Ekfreet



Category: Terra Formars, ありふれた職業で世界最強 | Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest (Anime), やはり俺の青春ラブコメはまちがっている。 | My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU (Anime)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Fantasy, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-27
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:22:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24407968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ekfreet/pseuds/Ekfreet
Summary: Hachiman, a reincarnator, is summoned to Tortus along with his class. [OOC Hachiman] [No Harem] [Slight Terra Formars X-Over]The story should be newbie-friendly as I will try to explain everything as much as possible.[OOC Hachiman] ---) Out Of Character. By reincarnator it means that Hachiman has already lived once in another world, Terra Formars, and possesses those memories.[Slight Terra Formars X-Over] ---) It will be mainly about Arifureta and Oregairu.[No Harem] ---) Don't read this story expecting 8man to pick up chicks like as if they were pokemon.
Kudos: 10





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> WARNING: English ain't my first language. 
> 
> So if you really appreciate my work, point out any typo or grammar mistake you are able to find. 
> 
> You are not going to be a bother, you will help me improve that way.

Monday, that is the beginning of the most melancholic day of the week. Most people would sigh upon thinking about the beginning of a new week while recalling the paradise that is yesterday.

Hikigaya Hachiman was not an exception either. However, Hachiman's situation was not as simple, it was because the school was a boring place that caused his mood to sour. Just as usual, when the bell was about to ring, Hachiman dragged his dispirited body to the classroom door and pushed it open.

"Yahallo Yukino!"

"...They fucking delayed the episode of Toaru!?"

"Dude, Messi is way better than Ronaldo. End of discussion."

Another day of teenagers being teenagers. Nothing had changed from the previous day, nor from the one prior to that one. He sat down in his seat and proceeded to doze off waiting for the hours to blend with themselves.

* * *

Sensing the clamor in the classroom, Hachiman's consciousness gradually returned. Since he often dozed off in class, his body remembered to get up automatically. Judging from the position of the sunlight, it seemed to be lunch break already.

Hachiman raised his face from the desk and took around ten seconds to take out his daily item - the lunchbox. After surveying his surroundings, since some of the students had darted to the canteen to buy their lunch, the number of people in the classroom decreased a bit. Even so, most of them had bentos like Hachiman, so there were still two-thirds of the students remaining in the classroom. Moreover, the fourth period just ended a moment ago, so their social studies teacher, Hatayama Aiko, was still at her desk discussing something with a girl.

Amazingly, Hachiman finished his lunch in merely half a minute. It was made by his sister after all, even if it tasted like dung he would still gobble it down like a Michelin star dish. After replenishing his empty stomach, Hachiman decided to lie on his desk and observe the cherry blossoms that could be seen outside the windows. He didn't like the peace everything seemed to radiate. It annoyed him.

And as if God himself heard that thought, in front of Hachiman, a pure circle with complex design appeared. Very soon, all students around also noticed this abnormal situation. Everyone's attention was attracted by those brilliant patterns, they gazed at the thing that looked like a magic circle.

At the same time the magic circle was getting brighter, it instantly expanded to the size of an entire classroom. The abnormal situation gradually expanded under his own foot. The students let out a wail after their stiff bodies gradually relaxed. Aiko-sensei who had been staying in the classroom until now immediately shouted, "Everyone! Leave the classroom!" However, just at the same time, the magic circle's light flickered as if it was about to explode.

After a few seconds or perhaps a few minutes, when that classroom which was enveloped by the snow-white radiance returned to its original state, nobody was left in the classroom anymore. The chairs that fell on the ground, the lunchbox that was left open with half of the food remaining, the messy chopsticks and plastic bottles, all the classroom utensils were there, but not a single soul could be seen. This event - High School Students Spirited Away During the Daytime - caused a huge uproar, but that is a story for another time.


	2. Chapter 2

**Location: Somewhere in Europe.**

**Date: 21th of June, 2591.**

On the surface of a broken mirror, cold blue eyes stared back at me.

Numerous explosions could be heard outside the thin walls. I was tired.

Far too tired to care anymore.

And yet something unknown still compelled my prepubescent body to move, to survive.

I filled my lungs with a deep breath.

It was the moment of the truth. The moment to live. The moment to die.

* * *

Hachiman who'd covered his eyes to protect them from the bright lights realized immediately that he was no longer in his classroom. There weren't many things that fazed him anymore but his surrounding gave him a run for his money.

His eyes registered a massive mural. The mural, which stretched ten meters long, depicted a faintly smiling figure, whose gender seemed indeterminable, wreathed in a halo, blond hair flowing freely behind the figure. The figure had both arms spread wide as if trying to grab hold of all of it. It was a truly beautiful, awe-inspiring work of art. But Hachiman could feel something wrong within the image, so he quickly averted his eyes.

As he examined the rest of his surroundings, he quickly realized that he was in a vast chamber. The entire room was constructed of a gleaming white stone that seemed smooth to the touch. Marble, possibly. Massive pillars with sculptures carved into them rose up to the towering domed ceiling. The room resembled some sort of grand cathedral.

They stood upon a plinth located in the deepest recesses of the room. They were raised above their immediate surroundings. Everyone looked dumbfounded. It looks like whatever happened had affected the entire class.

Turning his gaze to the crowd of people surrounding him, he found a multitude of men near them.

Indeed, Hachiman and his classmates weren't the only occupants of the room. Around thirty or so people were standing before the plinth Hachiman and the others were on. It looked as if they were all praying, their hands crossed above their chests.

They were all clad in white robes decorated with golden embroidery. At their sides were something resembling a bishop's stave. The tips of their staves opened up into a fan shape, and instead of rings, several flat discs hung from the ends.

Eventually, one of the priests stepped forward. He was an old man in his seventies, dressed even more lavishly than his peers, with a richly decorated monk's cap that stood about thirty centimeters tall.

Old was perhaps not the best word to describe him. If not for his deeply wrinkled face and aged eyes, one might think him a man in his early fifties.

His staff jingled as he walked, clear soothing notes reverberating throughout the halls all the while. Finally, he opened his mouth and said,

"Welcome to Tortus brave hero, and his companions. It is our pleasure to welcome you here. I am the pope of the Holy Church, Ishtar Langbard. It is an honor to make your acquaintances." The old man, who called himself Ishtar, broke into a good-natured smile. He then led the still confused group of students into another room that was furnished with numerous chairs and long tables, saying it would be easier to speak calmly there.

The new room he'd guided the students to was just as lavishly built as the first. The exemplary craftsmanship of the furniture and the tapestries hanging on the walls was evident even to the student's untrained eyes. The layout of the room implied that it was some manner of the banquet hall. Hayama's group claimed seats at the head of the table. Hachiman ended up at the very end of the table with the nerds.

The reason no one had made a fuss so far was that everyone was still too busy processing what had just happened. Besides, Ishtar had just said he would explain what had happened and Hayama, with his max-level charisma, had managed to calm everyone down. Aiko-sensei had tears in her eyes as she watched a student do what should have been the teacher's job.

The moment everyone had finished seating themselves, a number of carts entered the room, pushed along by a retinue of maids. "Real victorian maids!" exclaimed someone. They were indeed plump maids that could still be found in various European countries. "Bona-fide maids, the kind every man dreams of meeting!" continued the overexcited nerd.

Even in such an incomprehensible situation, their insatiable curiosity and libido drove most of the boys to gaze longingly at the beautiful maids. When the girls saw how they melted over the maids, they glared at the boys in a manner cold enough to freeze hell itself.

Hachiman, however, wondered if pheromones were going to be a problem in the future. There were far too many unknown things.

Ishtar finally began talking once everyone had been served their refreshments.

"Now then, I am certain you all must be feeling very confused about the situation you've found yourselves in. I shall explain everything, starting from the beginning. All I ask is that you hear me out until the end." Ishtar's explanation was so generic and unreasonable that it seemed as if it'd come out of a fantasy book template.

In short, this was what he said- First, that this world was called Tortus. Within Tortus lived three different races, humans, demons, and demi-humans. Humans resided in the northern half of the continent, demons on the southern half, and demi-humans far to the east within a massive forest.

Humans and demons had a strained relationship, having been at war for centuries. Though demons lacked the sheer numbers humans possessed, their individual strength far surpassed most humans, balancing the scale. Both sides were currently in a stalemate, and a major battle hadn't broken out in decades. However, there had been disturbing movements among the demons as of late. Namely the fact that they had managed to tame monsters.

These monsters were supposedly wild animals that had undergone a magical metamorphosis after having mana poured into them. Thought it seemed that humans had yet to fully understand the biology of monsters, so they weren't quite sure. They were apparently very powerful and even capable of using magic, which made them an extremely dangerous threat.

Up until that point, very few people had been able to tame such ferocious beasts. And even those who could were unable to handle more than one or two at a time. However, the situation had changed. This meant that the only advantage the humans had over the demons, numbers, had been eliminated. As such, humans faced an unprecedented crisis that threatened the existence of their very race.

"The one who summoned you all there was the blessed lord, Ehit. He is the Supreme God who created the world itself. Being the guardian deity of us humans and the one true God of the Holy Church. I suspect that Lord Ehit grew aware of our plight. He realized that humanity was doomed to annihilation, so he summoned you here in order to prevent such a disaster. You heroes are humans from a world greater than ours, and therefore carry within you strength that surpasses the humans of this world."

Ishtar paused for a moment before continuing hesitantly, "Or at least, that is what was shown to me in a divine revelation."

"Regardless, I implore you all to do as Lord Ehit has willed you. Please, defeat the demons and save the human race from destruction." He seemed almost in a trance as he said that. Had to have been remembering the time he received the divine revelation. Or very good acting skills. He basically radiated charisma.

"You can't possibly be serious! You're telling these children to go fight a war!? That's absolutely unacceptable! As a teacher, I cannot allow it! Send us back this instant! The kids have families back home who must be worried sick! You can't just kidnap them like this!"

 _Fatal mistake. We are hostages teacher, we aren't in a position to bargain_.

Aiko, the almost twenty-five social studies teacher, was very popular with the kids. She stood only 162 centimeters tall, with a baby face and her hair kept in a neat bob cut. But she tried her best to protect her students. Hachiman could respect that. A fool or not, she did what she thought was right.

"I understand your feelings, however... I am unable to return you to your world at present. As I stated earlier, it is Lord Ehit who summoned you there. The only reason we were in that room at all was to greet you heroes, and to offer our prayers to Lord Ehit. We humans do not possess the power to interfere with other worlds, so whether or not you can return also depends on His will."

"N-No way..."

"You've gotta be kidding me! What do you mean we can't go back!?"

"Please, there must be a way!"

"A war!? Us!?"

While the entire class fell into panic, Hachiman felt that the development wasn't really _that_ bad. There were many worse things that could have happened. Mind fuckery being at the top of his list. Ishtar did not order them to do anything, that meant that mind control was out of the equation for now. It was a silver lining in the deep shit he was right now.

Hayama stood amidst the hysterical group of students and slammed his first onto the table with a bang. That managed to get the attention of most of the kids. Once he had confirmed that everyone's eyes were on him, Hayama began speaking.

"Everyone, there's no point in complaining to Ishtar. There's nothing he can do about it now. And... And I, at least have decided to stand and fight. These people are about to be annihilated. Knowing that, how can we possibly leave them to such a tragic fate? And besides, if we've been summoned here to save humanity, it's possible we'll be allowed to go back once we've saved them... Well, Ishtar-sama? Do you think that's possible?"

It was good damage control, Hayama had better leadership skills than what Hachiman expected of a normal person.

"It is as you say. Lord Ehit is not so unkind that he would ignore a request from his chosen heroes. Each and every one of you has been granted powers by the Lord Himself. Which will be revealed soon."

"Alright, then we should be fine. I'm going to fight. If we save everyone, then we can go home. We are going to be heroes!" Hayama clenched his fists as he proclaimed while smiling in assurance. The smile didn't reach his eyes. But no other student noticed.

He could have made a good politician. Lying came to him as naturally as breathing. Seeing him in a new light, Hachiman decided that protecting him would be a main priority. Talents needed time and experiences to grow and flourish. Hayama was going to be his ticket to a smooth sail.

Inadvertently, while he was focusing his sight on Hayama, Hachiman did not notice gazes from both within his classmates and some of the maids that were curious about his ability to stay calm throughout the entire time.

Hachiman wasn't what you would call 'calm' though. Adrenaline and excitement had been coursing through his veins ever since he felt a long lost organ back in its place. For the first time in almost two decades, he was complete again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the people who don't know what Terra Formars is or are confused: Everything will be slowly explained in the future so don't worry too much. But I do recommend watching the anime nonetheless.
> 
> I know that Aiko is 22 cm shorter in Canon but this is my story and I'm gonna make some changes.


	3. Chapter 3

The usual group of friends all chimed in their support for Hayama. Swept along by the flow, the rest of the students naturally all agreed to fight as well. Aiko-sensei was conflicted but she also gave in.

In the end, everyone agreed to help fight in this world's war. However, no one knew what a real war was really like. In a sense, they might have just been trying to escape from reality to preserve their own sanity. They were in a state of shock after all.

Hachiman observed Ishtar out of the corner of his eye. He had a rather satisfied smirk on his face, something Hachiman took note of.

Since they had chosen to assist the humans in their war, they now needed to learn how to fight. No matter how amazing their newfound powers ended being, they were still kids. Children that never faced any kind of hardship in such a country like Japan.

Ishtar seemed to have prepared for that eventuality as well since he explained to the students that there were people ready to receive them in the Heiligh Kingdom. Said kingdom was apparently at the foot of the divine mountain, and the temple they were currently in was the head temple of the Holy Church that stood at its summit.

The kingdom had very close ties with the Holy Church. According to Ehit, one of Ehit's progeny, Sharam Vaan, had founded the kingdom. Of all the human kingdoms, it was apparently the one with the richest history. The fact that the Church's most sacred temple was in the kingdom's backyard spoke volumes about how deep their connection ran.

Hachiman and the others headed for the temple's front gate. They were about to embark on their journey to the kingdom below. As they walked through the grand triumphal arcs that comprised the main gate of the temple, they were greeted by an endless sea of clouds.

Because no one had suffered from altitude sickness, they hadn't realized they'd been up so high up. It was assumed that unknown techniques were making the environment around the temple habitable. They all stood in wonder as they stared at the clear blue sky and the waves of clouds sparkling in the sunlight.

* * *

On a barren land millions of kilometers away from Earth stood a man drawing his last breaths. Hundreds of evolved terraformars laid dead around him.

It was a glorious dawn, rays of sunlight were starting to appear from the clouds and the sky was turning blue again.

Reaching for the fading night, he yelled. "Glory to mankind!"

* * *

_No matter the world I am in, the blue sky seems to always follow me._

Ishtar looked on proudly as everyone gawked, before urging them onward. As they made their way forward, they came upon a massive white circular pedestal that was surrounded by a fence. They walked through a majestic hallway made of the same white stone as the cathedral and stepped up onto the pedestal.

Engraved within the stone of the pedestal was a large magic circle. On the other side of the fence lay a steep drop to the clouds below, so most students huddled as close to the center of the pedestal as they could. But they were unable to restrain their curiosity, and timidly glanced around their surroundings despite their fear. As they were looking around, Ishtar began to chant.

"Faith is the key that opens the road to heaven- Celestial Path."

The magic circle began emitting a blinding light as he finished chanting. The entire pedestal began gliding down toward the ground, as if attached to some invisible cable. It appeared that Ishtar's chant had been an activation signal of sorts. It functioned exactly like a fantasy cable car. Some students started clamoring excitedly as they saw their first display of magic.

Once on the other side, the students could finally make out the ground below. Directly below them was a huge city or a rather small kingdom. A huge castle that looked as if it was jutting out of the mountainside lay at its center, with the rest of the city spreading outwards in a circle. The capital city of Heiligh. The magical cable car seemingly ran from the Holy Church down to the roof of one of the castle's towers via some aerial pathway.

It was a rather extravagant theatric. The entire journey had clearly been crafted to resemble 'higher beings descending down from heaven' or a similar feat. Some would call this ostentatious but it was a superb way of raising morale.

As they approached the royal palace sonorous cheers from huge crowds that sang their welcome could be heard.

The moment they landed, they were escorted to the throne room. The hallways they passed on their way were every bit as ostentatious as the temple had been.

Along the way, they passed by knights, servants, maids, and people who looked like government officials from their uniforms. Everyone who passed gazed at the students with awe and wonder. They seemed to be were aware of who the students were.

Ishtar and the party of heroes finally found themselves standing before a pair of massive double doors, into which numerous beautiful designs had been engraved. Two guards were standing at attention on either side of the door, and they loudly announced the group's arrival to whoever was waiting within. Then, without waiting for a reply, they swung the doors open.  
Ishtar leisurely passed through the entrance, clearly at ease. All of the students timidly followed behind him, with the exception of Hayama. Seemingly unaffected by the splendor surrounding them.

Within the room stretched a long red carpet that ended at the far wall. At its end lay a magnificent chair, or rather throne. Standing in front of the throne was a middle-aged man who radiated an aura of solemn dignity.

Next to him was presumably the queen, and next to her were a boy and a girl, both with blond hair and striking blue eyes. The boy, who was the younger of the two, seemed no more than ten years old, while the girl must have been around fourteen or fifteen. On the left side of the carpet was a line of soldiers, all clad in a decorated uniform-armor. On the right, a line of officers. Altogether, there were probably around forty people waiting in the room.

Once they were directly before the throne, Ishtar left the students and went to stand beside the king. He proffered his hand to the king, who took it reverently and kissed it with the lightest brush of his lips. As expected, the pope held more power than the king in this human society. Hachiman sighed inwardly.

Self-introductions followed after that. The king's name Eliheid S. B. Heiligh, and his wife the queen was called Luluaria. The blond boy was the prince Lundel, and the princess Liliana.

Then came introductions for the knight captain, the prime minister, and other important dignitaries. As an aside, the young prince's eyes were glued onto Yukinoshita the whole time.  
Once the introductions had finished, a huge feast was laid out and the students were able to enjoy the dishes of a parallel world. Thought, for the most part, it wasn't very different from western food back on Earth.

Prince Lundel spent most of the meal talking to Yukinoshita, with Yuigahama checking on her every once in a while. Hayama was engaged in a conversation with the a minister, who seemed to be pleased by the amount of knowledge he seemed to possess. Hachiman chose to remain silent and savor his food listening to many different conversations.

Their lack of dining manners didn't faze the royal family. Which was curious. Hachiman remembered some bits and pieces from dealing with U-NASA higher-ups, but he abstained from showing it.

After they finished their meal, Hachiman and the others were introduced to the instructors they would be training with in return for being clothed and fed by the palace. Their instructors had been chosen from the cream of the crop. The best of the best they had to offer.

Once dinner and introductions were finished, everyone was led to their own individual rooms. Hachiman was certain that more than one would have been surprised by the huge canopy bed he found in his room.

Sitting on the edge of the bed he reviewed everything that had transpired. Eventually, drowsiness kicked in and he closed his eyes to prepare himself for a new day.

As it was an unfamiliar place, he didn't have a proper rest. But the luxurious bed somehow made up for it. The material the bed was made of was heavenly. Or perhaps enchanted.

Training began bright and early the next day morning. Everyone was handed a twelve centimeter by seven-centimeter silver plate. As the students stared at those strange plates, a knight captain, Meld Loggins, began explaining their function.

He seemed quite happy to oversee their training, as he said "This has finally given me a reason to push all the paperwork onto my vice-captain!" with a hearty laugh.

"Alright, you kids all got your plates? We call them status plates. As their names suggest, they take various parameters and qualify them for you. They also make for great identification cards. So long as you've got these, you'll be fine even if you get lost somewhere, so hang onto them tight, you hear?" The knight captain had a very informal way of speaking. When asked about it, he simply said "We'll be comrades fighting together on the battlefield, so no point in being so stiff with each other!" and even urged them to speak casually with all the other knights.

Hachiman didn't know what to make out of him though. His instructors had been devils, they had to be like that, in order to train youths to perform under fire and the threat of death. No matter how much someone trained a set of moves, it would be useless if they froze up in the middle of a battle.

"You will see that one side of the plate has a magic circle inscribed on it. Use the needles I passed out to prick your finger and drip some blood onto the circle. That will identify you as the owner of the plate. Then, if you say "Open Status," you will see your current stats being displayed on the plate. Oh, and don't bother asking me how it works. I've got no clue. These things are artifacts leftover from ancient times."

_No technological innovations in centuries?_

"Artifacts?" Hayama asked, stumbling over the unfamiliar word.

"Artifacts refer to powerful magical items that we no longer have the technology to produce.

They were supposedly all made during the age of the gods when the creator's descendants still walked the earth. The status plates you all hold are all artifacts from that era as well, but they're the only artifacts that still see widespread use to this day. Most other artifacts are coveted national treasures, but there are enough of these plates that even average citizens own one. It's helpful since they make for very reliable identification."

_Keyword: 'Very'. So it's receivable?_

It seemed that the artifact that produced these status plates still existed as well, and every year new plates were produced under strict supervision and control of the Holy Church.

The students all nodded in affirmation as they listened to his explanation. Once it was finished, they all gingerly pricked their fingers and rubbed the blood that welled up onto the magic circle of their plates. The circles flared briefly as blood touched them.

His status plate flared up briefly as well, and like ink spreading through paper, his plate was slowly dyed an icy blue. Hachiman was taken aback even if it wasn't reflected in his face. The other students also looked on in surprise as their plates changed colour.

Chief Meld continued his explanation of the plates after that. Apparently, each person had their own colour of mana, and when their information was entered into their plates, the plated changed colour to match it. The reason they were able to serve as such reliable identification cards was because their colour and the colour of their owner's mana were always the same.

_Once again, blue._

"I realize you're all impressed, but don't forget to check your stats, okay?" Captain Meld smiled wryly as he reminded the students to confirm their stats. His voice brought them all back to their senses and they gave Meld a brief look before hurriedly checking their stats.

On his, he found written:

Hikigaya Hachiman

Age: 17 - Male - Level: 1 - Job: Alchemist

Strength: 35 (?)

Vitality: 33 (?)

Defense: 34 (?)

Agility: 43 (?)

Magic: 42 (?)

Magic Defense: 44 (?)

Skills:

Transmute - Elemental Affinity - Language Comprehension

Everyone felt that they were transformed into some sort of video game characters as they read their plates. Seeing that, Meld began explaining the different stats.

"Everyone got a good look at their stats? Okay, let me explain them from the top. First, we have your level. See it?

The number grows as your other stats grow. The highest level is 100, and when you've reached that you're at your limits as a human being. In other words, one's current level shows how much of their full potential they've reached. Reaching 100 means unlocking all of your latent potentials, and is a cap beyond which you cannot grow. Very few people manage to make it to the level cap, though.'

"Your stats will naturally increase as you train, and you can also use magic or magic-imbued items to raise your stats. Also, those with a high magic stat will naturally grow faster than others. No one knows exactly why, but we assume it's because a person's mana assists in the growth of the other stats. Later on, you'll all get to choose equipment that corresponds to your individual stats. The items of our treasury will be yours for the taking! You're heroes who are going to save our kingdom after all!" Judging by Captain Meld's explanation, defeating a monster wouldn't magically increase one's stats. Everyone just had to train the old fashioned way.

_There's quite an awful lot of things you all don't seem to know. Is it to prevent us from possessing more knowledge or does the Holy Church simply consider the study of science heresy?_

"Next up, do you all see that little box that says job in it? Put simply, that refers to your natural aptitude. It's directly linked to the kind of skills you can learn. Jobs are rare and they can be split into combat-based and non-combat-based disciplines."

Ishtar had said that the group came from a world superior to their own, and that they possessed better abilities than the humans of Tortus due to that fact. While some students, mainly the nerds, were very happy about this fact; other felt that something was not quite right.

"Your stats are exactly what they say they are. The average for most stats at level 1 is around 10. But you're all heroes, so you surely have far higher stats than that! Man, I'm so jealous of you guys! Oh yes, don't forget to report your stats to me. I'll need to know them to decide how to best train you guys."

Hayama was the first to step up and show his stats to Meld. His stats were as follows:

Hayama Hayato

Age: 17 - Male - Level: 1 - Job: Hero

Strength: 100

Vitality: 100

Defense: 100

Agility: 100

Magic: 100

Magic Defense: 100

Skills:

Elemental Affinity - Elemental Resistance - Physical Resistance - Advanced Sorcery - Swordsmanship - Superhuman Strength - Armor Proficiency - Foresight - Increased Mana Recovery - Detect Presence - Detect Magic - Limit Break - Language Comprehension

A valuable ticket to a smooth sailing indeed.

As an aside, Meld was level 86. His stats were all within the 400 range, and he was one of the strongest humans alive. If everyone's growth rates were as high as what Meld claimed them to be, they were going to turn into the backbone of humanity very quickly.

In addition, it seemed that skills were 'innate' attributes your magic was suited for. There weren't numbers indicating levels behind these skills as magic didn't seem to work based on a system of levels but one of proficiency.

The Captain was very ecstatic at everyone's 'ridiculous' high stats and jobs. Starting immediately to instruct the students with some basic exercises.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In case someone has not noticed yet, these scenes from the 'future' are flashbacks of Hachiman's time in the world of Terra Formars.

**Location: Andorra, Spain.**

**Date: 7th of July, 2591.**

"I see." The man spoke with regret in his voice even as he choked on his blood. "Once again, it's true."

"What's true?" Ha***man asked despite the pain. His savior still breathed.

"I cannot save anyone." Was the reply as he closed his eyes, a grief-stricken expression plastered on his face.

Both of them were trapped under the rubble of a destroyed building. Fate truly had a twisted sense of humour to doom the survivors mere hundreds of meters away from the border.

_So this is the end, huh?_

The man clad in red had tried to shield **ch***n from the debris but the attempt was unsuccessful. The middle-aged man couldn't even save himself. The younger boy clenched his teeth as he swallowed the nausea rising in his throat. Time was running out and his vision was fading.

"Peace at last..."

Had H**h***n been conscious moments later he would have heard the screams of first responders.

"C'mon kiddo, dontcha die on me!"

* * *

**Toaru Addenda**

* * *

Two weeks had passed since their arrival to this new world. Hachiman was currently in the royal library using the break time he had between training sessions to investigate this world's knowledge of chemistry and magic. In his hands was a book labeled "The Law of Equivalent Exchange".

Although everyone was required to train because of their astounding potentials, they also needed to develop their specialties as well. You couldn't cast magic by just reading a set of lines after all, the theory was indispensable if they didn't want to lose their lives in an accident.

Most felt that it was a drag but no one complained as their teacher Aiko, a Fertility Goddess, spent almost every waking moment boosting the kingdom's food resources.

As for the current state of science in Tortus from what he gathered, it turned out to be that the reliance on Artifacts and magic had set back the technological development to almost nil. They didn't even discover the laws of thermodynamics after thousands of years since their entrance to the Middle Ages in this world.

Hachiman breathed out a sigh and closed the book. Taking a look at his status plate, he slowly devised unknown plans.

Hikigaya Hachiman

Age: 17 - Male - Level: 6 - Job: Alchemist

Strength: 101 (?)

Vitality: 103 (?)

Defense: 107 (?)

Agility: 188 (?)

Magic: 216 (?)

Magic Defense: 227 (?)

Skills:

Transmute - Elemental Affinity - Language Comprehension

Meld had been curious about the '?' signs that were behind his stats but it was quickly attributed to his job, alchemist. Alchemists were considered to be improved versions of synergists. They were able to enter more fields like medicine. A curious thing however was that no one had received this job ever since the alchemy legend Olga Elric created the Philosopher's Stone. A stone that was capable of reviving the recently dead, which was lost after several kingdoms fought over it centuries ago.

Since the kingdom didn't possess accurate knowledge about what his job could do, they just expected him to level up to the point of being to create vital minerals en masse for the blacksmiths.

After being taught the basics, he was able to transmute dirt and stone into basic elements like iron, pure oxygen, or even propane with just a bit of focus and the power of intent. The only thing his magic seemed to be limited at was the quantity and complexity of the thing he wished to transmute.

It was ridiculous how easy creating his M.O's serum from just a piece of paper was. By the end of the first week he could already make several kilograms of PETN explosives in one go without tiring himself. Alchemy was far too easy and more broken than what he thought, but then again, magic wasn't intended to make sense.

Hachiman didn't plan to reveal his cards in the near future though, as no one seemed to understand how overpowered the skill transmutation was. The students being in a social studies class with basically no knowledge in chemistry also helped. He did expect Yukinoshita to realize something sooner or later though, she was a sharp girl.

His class had a rather quick acclimatization to the current circumstances and everyone was taking their current responsibilities seriously. He probably had to thank Hayama for that.

Having finished his task for this day, he returned the book to its former place and exited the building. It was a cloudy day. But it did not deter the bustle of the capital that could be heard from outside the castle. It did not look like a place under the threat of war at all. The positive influence of having summoned heroes to fight the war for them must have been reassuring.

Soon he arrived at the training grounds. There were a fair amount of people but it seemed that Hachiman had arrived early today. Seeing nothing better to do, he picked up a pebble and tried to review some basic shape transmutations.

"Heed my will as I command." Hachiman incantated.

The need for incantations was supposed to go down as he gained proficiency in his craft. Chants seemed to be triggers that helped you control the mana. His Elemental Affinity also let him cast magic without the need for magic circles even if it was at a lesser efficiency. However, the lesser efficiency could add up to a steep cost of mana so he was given gloves with some of the most powerful transmutation arrays in existence. Being supported by the entirety of the nation's resources was quite sweet.

The round pebble grew in size as he fed mana to it. Materials could be increased in size and density as long as a piece of base material was in direct contact with his skin or no farther than a few meters of distance. The big pebble slowly morphed into the shape of a locust before moving on with increased velocity to other forms like the imitation of a mobile phone, a bottle of water, and lastly an ornamental dagger.

The quantity one possessed of the particle that was the origin of all magic, 'mana', could be increased by just continuously emptying your mana reserves but the efficiency of wasting the least amount of mana points while activating spells required talent and practice. Someone with a greater expertise was able to cast up to three fireballs with the same amount of mana a newbie used to cast one. Artifacts like Hachiman's Nameless Gloves could grant artificial boons to the conversion rate but not everyone had access to such objects.

"Tomorrow, as part of your practical training, we will be going on an expedition into the Great Orcus Labyrinth. I'll prepare all the necessary equipment you guys will need, but don't think that this is going to be anything like the monster hunts you've been going on outside the capital! You guys better prepare yourselves! We won't train today so that you all get as much rest as possible tonight! That's all!

The Great Orcus Labyrinth. It was a massive dungeon said to span a hundred floors. As it was one of the seven great labyrinths, the deeper one went, the stronger the monsters they faced. The main reason it was frequented by adventurers, mercenaries and troops alike was because it was a good source of high-quality mana crystals.

The mana crystal was the core of a monster. It was what made a monster a monster. It gave them the ability to store mana and actively use it without the need for chants or arrays. These cores were an important component in magic circles as it powered the arrays and acted as a source of extra mana a mage could use to cast spells he normally wouldn't be able to. They also were good mana conductors, often used to make weapons and tools.

So, suffice to say, it was always in a rather high demand. However, monsters that possessed the higher quality mana crystals were also more dangerous. They were capable of using powerful specialized magic. Very lethal ones. Making it the number one reason one could never let their guard down when fighting powerful monsters.

Hachiman and the others arrived in the outpost town of Horaud before dusk. Captain Meld together with a squad of his knights had led them to a small town that primarily existed to service the adventurers who traveled there wishing to challenge the Great Orcus Labyrinth. As an important asset to the kingdom, a state-run inn was maintained at the town, which was where the students were all staying.

After a modest dinner at a nearby restaurant, everyone was off to sleep.

"Are you happy here Hachiman?" Said his roommate. The inn hadn't been made with privacy in mind, so the heroes had to share the rooms in groups of two and three as there were already a big amount of guests.

"Not particularly, why?" Hachiman blinked for a moment before doing some stretches.

"You are a curious case, aren't you Hachiman?" Totsuka smiled as *he accommodated h**self. "Always so silent and cold."

A pale moonlight illuminated h** face as *he continued to talk.

"Ever since we came to this world, your eyes started to gain a light they never had before."

Without waiting for his response Totsuka promptly slumped down on the bed.

Hachiman at a rare loss of words sat by the window and stared at the tranquil scenery. An indefinite amount of time later, Hachiman nodded his head.

"This world... isn't boring."

* * *

The next morning everyone reported to the plaza that served as the entrance to the Great Orcus Labyrinth early enough that the sun had still yet to rise.

The students were filled with equal parts trepidation and curiosity. Most had expected the standard cavern entrance leading into unknown dark depths. However, the sight that greeted them was something that looked akin to the entrance to a museum, complete with its own receptionist counter. A girl in uniform was checking over the people going in and out of the labyrinth with a smile. It appeared that everyone's status plate was checked at the entrance. That way, the number of casualties could be accurately tallied.

With the threat of war looming overhead, the government wanted to avoid losing too many men, so they implemented that policy as one of their countermeasures. They could see numerous seemingly new posters announcing public information about the dangers of each floor and advice about what to do in different circumstances.

Humanity, in all its decadence and rot, was still a fearsome opponent once a common enemy threatened its existence. Old feuds were forgiven, grudges were set aside, and rivalries were settled in order to form a grand alliance.

_If only this could happen in times of peace..._

It truly wasn't wrong to say that only in conflict humanity shined as one of the ultimate races.

At Captain Meld's notice, they formed a standard formation and slowly entered the dungeon. Once inside, the lively atmosphere gradually vanished. The passage was only a little over five meters wide. There were magical lights illuminating the main paths but the majority of the labyrinth was dimly lit by a special mineral called 'Green Glowstone' that was buried in the walls. The entire Great Orcus Labyrinth was actually an excavated vein of green glowstone ore.

After a few uneventful minutes, the passage they were walking down opened up into a wide plaza. Towering seven or eight meters above them was a dome-shaped ceiling. The students were all looking around curiously, when suddenly a number of gray creatures resembling furballs burst out from cracks in the wall.

"Alright, Hayama, your team's up-front! Everyone else fall back! I'll have you switch in after some time, so stay sharp! These monsters are called Ratmen! They're quick on their feet, but not all that strong. Keep your cool as you fight!"

As Captain Meld had said, the Ratmen were quite fast and rushed at them with alarming agility. Pairs of dark red eyes gleamed with a ghastly light from within the balls of fur. Their name was rather fitting, as they looked like giant, muscular rats... that stood on two feet. Only the area around their corded chests and impressive eight-packs was bereft of fur, almost as if they were trying to show them off.

Hayama's group, who were facing them head-on, all grimaced when they got a better look. They certainly did look disgusting.

Once the Ratmen entered into range, Hayama, Tobe, Ooka, and Yamato all attacked at once. In the meantime, the mages and casters prepared their spells, chanting their respective lines.

Hayama swung his bastard sword faster than the eye could follow, and slaughtered a score of them with his first swing. His sword was one of the Artifacts that had been resting in the Heiligh treasury, and had the rather cliched name of "The Holy Sword". It was blessed with the light element, which had the sweet efficient properties of simultaneously weakening enemies that were hit by the light it emitted, while also increasing one's own physical strength. It sure played dirty for a "Holy" Sword.

Yamato had the job of Monk, which was a martial class that fought with its firsts. He was equipped with a pair of gauntlets and greaves. Those were also Artifacts, capable of unleashing enchanted shockwaves. Made from very rare and almost unbreakable materials. Yamato took up a stance and splendidly beat down any enemy that came close with punches and kicks, not letting a single one pass. Despite being practically bare-handed, his massive frame made him seem like an armored heavy knight.

Tobe, meanwhile, possessed the job of Lancer. He wielded a blood-red spear that radiated bloodlust. In one thrust he pierced through three monsters. It was unknown if he had this talent before the summoning but he definitely had a certain knack for handling the spear.

Ooka, on the other hand, was an Assassin that swiftly slit the throats of various Ratmen in a quick dash. To be honest, his job wasn't suited for fighting for extended periods but the stat growth he had along with everyone else fixed that specific problem.

While everyone was busy watching them fight, the people in the back-line finished their chants.

"Flames blacker than pitch, swirl about thine enemies! Burn until naught but their ashes remain- Spiral Blaze!"

They cast the spell in unison, and a huge whirlwind of flames enveloped the Ratmen, burning them to a crisp. The Ratmen screeched in pain, flailing wildly until the flames pouring down on them reduced them to ash. In the blink of an eye, all of the Ratmen had been annihilated. The other students didn't even get a chance to fight. The monsters on the first floor were far too weak to put up a fight against them.

Hachiman and some of them knew that using fire wasn't wise inside a closed space that was the dungeon but Meld and other instructors assured them that it was alright.

"Well done! Alright, the rest of you will be up next, so don't relax just yet!"

Captain Meld reminded the class not to let their guard down, though he was smiling, impressed at their prowess. Still, he couldn't prevent the students from getting pumped up about their first dungeon monster elimination expedition. He shrugged his shoulders helplessly as he saw the students breaking out into smiles.

"Oh, and... while you don't have to worry about it this time since it's training, in the future try and kill your enemies in a way that preserves their mana crystals. What you did back there was overkill."

From then on, the class smoothly advanced through the floors of the labyrinth, rotating the vanguard between battles.

Eventually, they arrived at the twentieth floor, the floor that separated skilled adventurers from rank amateurs. Currently, the deepest floor adventurers had managed to reach was floor sixty-five. However, that was a legendary feat that hadn't been replicated since, so in recent times anyone who made it past the first twenty floors was considered a highly-skilled fighter. Anyone who made it past the first forty was superhuman.

With Hayama's team at their head, the students were able to easily advance through the floors. Though they had little combat experience, their overpowered abilities more than compensated. The most dangerous enemy the students faced was actually the traps scattered about. Some of them were even lethal.

The most common countermeasure for traps was something known as a Fair Scope. A Fair Scope was a handy tool that detected traps by reading the flow of mana. Most of the traps in the labyrinth were magical in nature, so a Fair Scope detected around 80% of them. The remaining 20% were easily dodged or disabled by Hachiman.

However, the Scope possessed a very limited range, so it was only effective in the hands of an experienced user. Therefore, the real reason Hachiman and the others were able to descend so smoothly was because of how well their mentors were guiding them. Captain Meld also often reminded the students to never enter a room that hadn't been scoured for traps first amongst other instructions.

"Alright everyone, from this point on, monsters won't come at you just one species at a time. They'll coordinate with each other and attack in large groups. Don't let your guard down just because we've had nothing but easy victories so far! Today's training will conclude once we clear the twentieth floor, so let's end things with a bang!" Captain Meld's voice echoed throughout the room.

Up to that point, Hachiman hadn't done much of anything. He just followed Captain Meld's instructions and altered the battlegrounds erecting walls, creating pitfalls and generally just smoothed the area for the convenience of the rest of the group.

Every once in a while he tested different experiments with which he explored how effective alchemy could be in combat. Trying to transmute the innards of monsters proved to be a challenge, as their magic actively tried to defend their bodies from the effects of alchemy; common monsters on the surface did not do that. For now, it seemed that engineering a gun that shot potent explosive bullets would be the best option. Burying the monsters in compact materials proved to be too exhausting in the first excursion they had to slay monsters outside of the capital, and monsters inside the dungeon were faster than the speed of his area transmutations.

Hachiman swallowed a mana pill, which was used to recover mana as the name suggested, and transmuted his sweat into vapour. He might also need to learn biological transmutations in the future as well. Alchemy was theoretically able to heal wounds too. It had the ability of closing wounds, producing blood, limbs, and even organs from materials laying around. The possibilities were endless.

While he was taking a short break, Hachiman glanced at the front lines, and his eyes met Totsuka's. *he was smiling at him. Hachiman immediately looked away, as for the reason, he didn't know. Human interactions always tired him more than they should. It surely didn't help that he suffered from PTSD most of his former life. Couple that with his complete lack of interest in socializing back in Japan and you get a really awkward individual.

The class continued exploring the twentieth floor. They had been inside the dungeon for a week already, everyone leveled up at least thrice during this time. Continuous combat against monsters seemed to somehow enhance growth even if the act itself of killing monsters didn't provide exp.

Each of the labyrinth's floors spanned a few kilometers in every direction, and new floors usually took a team of dozens anywhere from half a month to an entire month to fully search and map out.

However, at present, all the floors until the fifty-seventh had been mapped out, so they were in no danger of getting lost. Nor should they be in any danger of falling into a trap.

The deepest room in the twentieth floor was like a limestone cave, but made of ice. Icicles protruded from the walls, some of them melted, creating a complex topography. The stairs leading to the twenty-first floor was just past it.

Once they made it that far, their training for the day would be over. Sadly, while teleportation magic had existed during the Age of the Gods, it no longer did, so they had to walk back to the entrance. The students had already begun to relax when a protrusion in the wall had prevented them from advancing in formation, forcing them to continue in a single line. Hachiman would have widened the passage but the material the protrusion was made of seemed to be resistant to magic.

Eventually, the two people at the head of their procession, Hayama and Captain Meld, came to a halt. Puzzled, the students prepared for battle as they looked around. Something had made them stop.

"It's a trap! Keep a close eye on your surroundings!" Captain Meld yelled out a warning to everyone.

Hachiman and the others could feel the atmosphere shift. Everyone was assailed by a blinding light. Numerous magic circles started appearing out of thin air.

Not longer than a few fractions later tattoos started glowing from both Hachiman's gloves and Yukinoshita's cloak. The first one disrupting the active arrays and the cloak's magic protected the students from the consequent explosion.

For the next moments, there was an absolute silence. You could have heard a pin drop. They had been very close to falling into a stray teleportation trap, one of the most lethal and dangerous traps there were in The Great Orcus Labyrinth

"Everyone, the expedition is over! Let's head back, now!" His voice boomed like thunder in the absence of noise.

Eating mana pills like candy, Hachiman cursed under his breath. His hands were burned by the blistering gloves. Casting magic through an object or tool tended to heat the material, which normally didn't hurt the spellcaster if the material was of good quality. However, channeling almost four hundred units of mana in a fraction of a second seemed to be beyond what it was made for.

Fortunately, the burns were superficial at most so Yuigahama, the Priest, healed his injuries in an instant.

* * *

Oscar Orcus who watched the events unfold smiled for the first time in centuries.

A wild card had appeared in his grand game of chess against the gods.

* * *


	5. Chapter 5

Hayama grimaced to himself as he swallowed back another mouthful of cheap whiskey, letting the burn trickle down his throat as he stared into nothingness.

He almost died.

A teleportation trap that only activated once or twice every century almost finished them off. And it was only thanks to the fast reflexes of Hachiman and Yukinoshita that he was still in one piece.

It was frustrating.

At the end of the day he was still mortal. He could die in one moment to another no matter how smart, special, powerful, or rich he was. Such was the reality of the world he was currently in.

Being discarded like a dirty tissue by Haruno broke something inside him. But he had moved on since then, he learned that there was more to life than just love or hate. Not winning sometimes didn't even matter anymore, as a life in which he always won wasn't fun.

However, death would change everything.

Gulping down the rest of his glass, Hayama hated that his hands were still shaking.

* * *

**Toaru Addenda**

* * *

After the incident the party rested one night in Horaud's inn before taking an express carriage back to the palace. The students were in no condition to continue their practical course. Furthermore, the fact of the entire party being nearly wiped out needed to be reported to the king and the Holy Church.

The sun was rising in Tortus but the students still had a somber mood. Hachiman knew that this was going to happen sooner or later. They hadn't been prepared for the inevitability that was death. The feeling of unpredictable doom stalking beneath every step they took...

However it was a good thing that no one died to teach this hard truth since the war was going to be much worse. From what he studied demons were intelligent humanoid living beings that were capable of empathy. His group was going need conviction to sully their hands in order to return to Earth. They weren't going to kill savage monsters but individuals with families, hobbies, and passions. There was no right or wrong in war. Only the survival of the fittest.

The king and Ishtar were very shocked by the news. The safety of the heroes was one of the kingdom's main priorities, they simply couldn't afford to lose their last hope. From now on they would be split into several groups, each of them protected by a squad of knights. The grim reality behind the decision of putting the golden eggs into several baskets hit them like a truck but they slowly came to accept it and tried to move on.

As Hachiman felt that his knowledge of the monsters was enough, he asked to be removed from those groups to dedicate his time to improve his transmutation skills. That wish was granted.

He did not waste time and directly visited the royal smithy asking for the cooperation of all the Synergists to engineer from the ground up weapons they could use in the war.

Landmines were something he truly had to share with the army as it was crucial for his cause but guns were going to be off-limits. Mostly because he might be at the receiving end of them if he were be betrayed. Hachiman could detect landmines and eventually magical traps as well thanks to a special analysis ability that his Alchemist class granted him, but a hail of bullet traveling thousands of meters per second wasn't something he wanted to be at the receiving end of.

If he played his cards right they shouldn't need the guns at all, but keeping some blueprints with himself might not hurt him either.

"This is prodigious!" As expected, a great commotion washed over the blacksmiths.

Most of the Synergists knew how pressure plates worked but they were losing their minds over the suggestion of connecting a pressure plate to a detonator that would ignite explosive materials like a mixture of RDX and PETN powders.

It was truly strange that no one ever thought of researching things that were not related to magic. But as the subject wasn't relevant Hachiman simply vanished the thought to a corner of his mind.

According to his current knowledge, not even the strongest warrior should be able to survive a few hundred kilograms of point-blank RDX bombs. The introduction of mines was definitely going to take this war by storm.

* * *

**Toaru Addenda**

* * *

In one corner of the market area, I was drinking beer with an odd teenager. A rather rich teenager from what the stack of silver coins seemed to indicate.

It was weird. I didn't know why someone would want to pay me to help him invent stuff, I was but a normal man with just an overly creative imagination.

"I want you to work exclusively for me from now on."

He had a hood on but I could tell that he was young from his voice.

"Young master, with all due respect, shouldn't you request the cooperation of more experienced blacksmiths?"

I awkwardly replied to his remark.

"Skill shouldn't matter in what I am going to entrust you. Everything aside, I assure you that you will be rewarded even if you are unable to fulfill my requests." He said as he gave me half of the coins he had.

"Is that so?"

"To tell you the truth, I had been looking for promising people with talent and vision rather than experience. The moment I saw your toys I knew that you were the person I was looking for."

My heart swelled with something akin to pride as he showed me various sketches of a slim rectangle with the size of a hand.

The rectangle apparently had to push small cylinders that were stored inside progressively up as they were expelled. It was an interesting challenge but I should be able to make this.

"Give me two weeks... no, one should suffice. In one week I will have a few prototypes ready." I was curious about what he needed this automatic feeding storage for, but as my father always said, a closed mouth gathers no flies.

Satisfied with my answer he muttered some pleasantries before exiting the tavern.

Fate truly is fickle to bless me today with riches from such an odd individual. I wasn't going to complain though. Money was money no matter where it came from.

* * *

***Timeskip***

* * *

"Stay sharp, everyone! This floor still hadn't been fully mapped. There's no telling what might happen!" Captain Meld's loud voice echoed throughout the room. Hayama and the others had grim expressions on their faces as they stepped into the unknown.

After a few minutes of walking they found themselves in a massive chamber. Everyone present suddenly felt a chill run down their spine.

An ominous premonition that proved all too soon to be accurate. A magic circle suddenly began glowing in the center of the room. A very familiar pulsing, dark red magic circle.

"Y-You've gotta be kidding me... What is this thing!?" Cold sweat poured down everyone.

"Oh my god... It's... a Behemoth..."

A wave of unease washed over them as they saw Captain Meld, the reliable captain who'd always been their reassuring pillar of support, lose his cool.

Hayama realized quickly that he was up against a truly fearsome opponent, and turned to ask Captain Meld about its properties.

However, the Behemoth, a monster that had even the kingdom's strongest knight quaking in his boots, refused to grant them the luxury of time. It sucked in a huge breath, then let out a guttural roar, signaling the start of the battle.

"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH"

The roar brought Captain Meld back to his senses, and he quickly began barking orders.

"This gigantic thing is a Behemoth, a monster that shows up on the sixty-fifth floor! We will try to defeat it but make sure there's always at least one open path of retreat!" His foremost priority was securing an escape route. The knights under his command all hurried to obey,

"Meld, we're not the same weak kids from before. We've gotten way stronger! I promise that we won't lose this fight, let's go!"

"Heh, you said it. I can't stand having to run away anyway! Rage and fight, my warriors!"

The Behemoth was the ultimate obstacle that the legendary adventurers couldn't walk past. They were going to make history today.

Hayama made the first move.

"Soar unto heaven, O divine wings- Celestial Flash!" With a thunderous roar, a shockwave of light slammed into the Behemoth.

"Graaaaahh!?" The Behemoth backed away shakily, screaming in pain. There was a long gash running down its chest, spilling blood.

"WE CAN DO THIS! Tobe, circle around its left. Ooka, try to attack its eyes. Yamato, use your strongest buffs to parry his attacks! Knights encircle it from the right!" His quick assessment and judged were a result of Captain Meld's personal training.

"You've gotten pretty good at giving orders, kid! Everyone, follow his lead!" Captain Meld confirmed Hayama's orders, then led his troupe of knights to the Behemoth's right side. Everyone sprang into action at once, surrounding the Behemoth.

The vanguard mages set up a defensive perimeter with Yamato, preventing the Behemoth from wreaking havoc with its movements.

"GRAAAH!" It decimated the ground as it charged forward, trying to break through.

"Like hell you will!" Yamato activated his berserk skill and held the Behemoth in its place. His entire body was coated with a red haze that radiated fury and overwhelming power.

"Uooooooooh!" Both of them let out a roar as they squeezed out all their respective strengths. The Behemoth enraged that a meager human stopped its assault, stamped impatiently on the ground. Seeing this, the other students took advantage of its momentary distraction.

"Crithfidh na scáthanna roimh an sleá- SEO!" Tobe severed one of the Behemoth's horns. A dark hue wrapped around his spear. However, his spear cracked a bit from the toughness of its skin.

"Guh, why's it gotta be so hard!"

"Leave it to us! Pulverize, shatter, and decimate- Bonecrusher!" Captain Meld and several knights leaped forward, slamming their swords into the other horn. Cutting all the way through, and slicing the horn straight off its head.

"Graaaaaah!?" Infuriated beyond reason, the Behemoth flailed wildly, flinging the heroes to the corners of the room.

"Succor!" In an instant, all fighters that had been flung away were healed. Long-distance, wide-area healing was on the upper end of the light type of spells. Which was about the limit of what the best healers of the kingdom could cast individually.

Hayama shifted stances in preparation to thrust, then charged towards the beast. He chanted a spell as he ran forward, aiming for the wound he had created earlier.

"Dazzling Eruption!" Vast quantities of mana gathered at the tip of his sacred sword as he thrust deep into the Behemoth. Which exploded from within.

"Graaaaaaah!" The Behemoth howled in pain as spurts of blood poured out of the new wound gouged into it, but still managed to land a counterattack while Hayama recovered from his exhaustion of mana.

"Guuuuh!" Hayama screamed in pain as the Behemoth's clawed paw flung him into a wall. The claws themselves failed to pierce his sacred armor artifact, but the force of the impact still left him gasping for breath. Still, at least the pain vanished almost instantly thanks to the work of the healers.

Meanwhile, the Behemoth roared mightily and leaped into the air, tired of the other flies buzzing around it. The shockwave sent everyone tumbling back while its broken horns began glowing red.

"...So it can do that even with a broken horn. Brace yourselves, everyone!" Yamato yelled out a warning as the Behemoth began hurtling down.

Everyone present prepared for impact. One of the members of the backline, Clive Hayden, a high ranking member of the church raised his hands and chanted one of his most powerful spells.

"Let this be a holy ground that denies thine enemies passage- Hallowed Ground!" A glowing dome of light surrounded them not a moment too soon, and the Behemoth crashed into it. The shockwaves from the impact were so powerful that the rocks on the floor nearby were swept away like cobwebs.

The barrier successfully grounded the attack to a halt but it seemed that it took a very big toll on his body as the priest collapsed right after.

The glow started dissipating from the Behemoth's horn. It slumped to the ground now that the force of its charge was completely spent. The barrier vanished at the same time.

"Finish him!"

"Sleá ifrinn!"

"Blistering Inferno!"

"Graaaaaaaaaah!"

Its dying screams echoed throughout the chamber. These ear-piercing cries slowly faded to a pained gurgle, until finally, the Behemoth was nothing more than a smoldering pile of ash.

"We won..."

"That's right! We won!" Hayama was the first to recover his breath. He held his sword aloft and proclaimed boldly their victory.

His holy sword glittered in the dim dungeon light, declaiming their victory for all to see. The reality of what they'd just achieved finally hit them and the team all broke out into cheers simultaneously. They all slapped each other on the back. Even Captain Meld was moved by the victory.

History was made with this achievement.


	6. Chapter 6

**Location: Barcelona, Spain.**

**Date: 6th of September, 2598.**

"Sir, will we burn in hell for this?"

Two men in white coats were observing the data they just received.

"Good and evil have always been subjective. And so is the belief of the existence of a higher being that oversees humanity. But... if God truly exists, I believe that He will agree that this was necessary."

Out of ten thousand war refugees that accepted the deal of undergoing the Special M.O. Operation, only four hundred successfully survived the deadly baptism.

* * *

**Toaru Addenda**

* * *

Months had passed since their arrival to this world.

Hikigaya Hachiman

Age: 17 - Male - Level: 48 - Job: Alchemist

Strength: 251 (?)

Vitality: 303 (?)

Defense: 247 (?)

Agility: 318 (?)

Magic: 589 (?)

Magic Defense: 600 (?)

Skills:

Transmute [+Instant Casting] [+Improved Mana Efficiency] - Elemental Affinity - Language Comprehension

Thanks to his diligent training, his stats now officially crowned him as one of the strongest humans in existence. Even so, the knowledge that the general populace had of him was scarce at best. Since the beginning of his collaboration with the synergists, both Ishtar and the royal family had been using all their power to keep under wraps his existence and the mass production of military mines.

To the point of excluding him from the public appearances that the heroes had to make every once in a while. His name was hidden from the list of heroes that was presented to the public, making Hachiman an invisible citizen in this world. They had gone as far as to make everyone that he met swear a magical oath of secrecy.

It was a reasonable course of action. He was the only one capable of producing the raw materials for the explosives in the exponential quantities needed. Even if the war was pretty much won, anything could happen to change that perception. Wars were very nasty clusterfucks.

For that reason, Hachiman had several contingency plans. He had been practicing and perfecting biological transmutations whenever he could. While it wasn't much more than patchwork compared to real healing magic, it could be a useful trump card.

He also memorized the blueprints of several successful high-calibre weapon projects but Hachiman hoped to not use them.

The people entrusted with different parts of the project were in charge of very specific components of the guns so he didn't have to worry about _silencing_ them either.

All in all, Hachiman felt that everything went too smoothly for his own liking.

* * *

**Toaru Addenda**

* * *

Sounds of battle filled the dimly lit underground room. Explosions and the steel of swords were illuminated by the faint green light. The fighting was so fierce that it shook the walls around them. At times, the reverberations could even be felt by those far out of the sight of the combatants.

Silver blades of light, fireballs, flaming spears, wind blades, and water jets flew in every direction, a never-ending barrage of projectiles. Frantic yelling, the sounds of bodies slamming against bodies, and battle cries all mingled together into a chaotic cacophony.

"Light that tears through all creation, Wind that erodes time itself, rage like a thousand flower petals and coalesce into a blinding storm- Heavenrend!" In the middle of all the fighting stood Hayama Hayato, the hero. With a flick of his wrist, countless blades of light shot out of his holy sword. A dozen of the bat-like creatures flying at him were shredded to pieces. They were reduced to chunks of flesh in a flash, without even a chance to defend themselves.

"Vanguard, ten more seconds!"

"Roger!" The party was facing off an army of huge ant-monsters, giant bats, and sea anemone-like things with wriggling tentacles. All in a circular room only thirty meters in diameter. Eight tunnels led into the room. It was from there that the monsters continued pouring in.

The hero's party was currently exploring the 89th floor of the Great Orcus Labyrinth. As the difficulty of the new floors kept increasing, the group of mages joined the one of Hayama under Captain Meld. The reason behind this decision was because Hayama was able to perfect his detecting magic. His detecting skills had upgraded into sensing skills recently, hence being able to detect any sort of traps they may encounter.

The highly trained vanguard expertly repelled the wave of monsters, keeping the more vulnerable rearguard safe. Meanwhile, the rearguard called out a count for how much longer it would take for their next magical barrage to be ready.

A few of the bats managed to fly past the vanguard, but the ever-reliable Archmage, Yukinoshita Yukino, kept them at bay with a magical wall.

"O momentary squall, form an impassable, invisible wall! Rebuff all who approach- Storm Bulwark!" Yukinoshita summoned an offensive barrier to shield the backline. But as the wall of raging wind was invisible, the bats didn't notice it. Heedless of her magic, they charged at the rearguard, thinking only of how they would tear these puny humans to shreds.

Just before they reached the group, they ran into the wind wall. As they did so, the wall began to bulge outward. Dozens of them rammed into the wall, none of them able to pass through the swirling gusts.

Once all of the bats were trapped the bulge reached a breaking point and exploded outward. The resulting blast of wind sent the bats flying back.

The impact was powerful enough to obliterate a few of the bats on the spot. Those that survived the blast died a few seconds later when they slammed into the walls with bone-shattering force.

Just then, the members of the vanguard unleashed some of their strongest attacks. Their goal wasn't to defeat the enemies in front of them, but to immobilize them long enough that they could get out of the way.

"Fall back!" At Hayama's command, the vanguard retreated a few steps.

A second later, the rearguard's magic hit the crowd of monsters. Their timing was perfect. A massive fireball slammed into the monsters, throwing them in disarray. At the same time, a tornado sprouted from the ground, tearing through their ranks. Stone spires jutted out from the floor, impaling those unlucky enough to still be on the ground. Icicles with points as sharp as knives rained down on the battlefield, skewering everything.

They tore through the army of monsters, leaving no survivors in its wake. The whole attack lasted only a few seconds. But in those scant few seconds, over 90% of the monsters had been killed or mortally wounded.

"Perfect! Let's mop up the rest of them!" The vanguard surged forward once more, thoroughly eliminating the few survivors. It didn't even take five minutes to finish off the weakened enemies. Even after the last monster was dealt with, they didn't let their guard down. The party remained vigilant for enemy attacks while congratulating each other on a battle well fought.

"Phew, the 90th floor's up next... We've gotten strong enough to kill the monsters here without too much trouble... Looks like our training mission's almost over."

Soon they were going to face the demons.

"But that doesn't mean we can take it easy. There's no telling what kinds of monsters and traps are waiting for us on the next floor."

"You worry too much, Yumiko. We've easily cleared floors no one else has ever made it to. We'll wipe the floor with anything that comes at us, even if it's demons." Ebina smiled confidently as she brushed Yumiko's worries aside.

Yukinoshita, who was listening, sighed. Stress was slowly building up as they were clearing the dungeon. Their grace period was running out of time.

"Hayato, Yamato, I've finished healing you two... How do you feel?" Yuigahama started doing her job while the rest of the party was talking to each other. Namely, healing all of the injured members. She was the group's Priest after all.

Among their labyrinth conquest party there was one other healer in the group. She split the work with Clive Hayden, and they set about healing everyone.

"Yeah, it doesn't hurt at all. Thanks, Yui."

As Hayama and his party's stats had long since eclipsed that of Captain Meld, he and his knights were waiting on standby on the 40th floor. They remained to guard the magic circle they'd discovered that connected to the 70th floor. As of now, they ranked among Tortus' strongest humans. Their stats were:

Hayama Hayato

Age: 17 - Male - Level: 73 - Job: Hero

Strength: 990

Vitality: 990

Defense: 990

Agility: 990

Magic: 990

Magic Defense: 990

Skills:

All Elemental Aptitude [+Light Element Proficiency] [+Speed Casting] - All Elemental Resistance [+Increased Light Resistance] - Physical Resistance [+Improved Healing] [+Impact Mitigation] - Composite Casting - Sword Mastery - Herculean Strength - Supersonic Step - Foresight - High Speed Mana Recovery - Sense Presence - Sense Magic - Limit Break - Language Comprehension

* * *

Yukinoshita Yukino

Age: 17 - Female - Level: 70 - Job: Archmage

Strength: 200

Vitality: 220

Defense: 230

Agility: 220

Magic: 1250

Magic Defense: 1250

Skills:

All Elemental Aptitude [+Instant Casting] [+AoE Proficiency] [+Reduced Mana Consumption] [+Improved Mana Efficiency] [+Increased Spell Duration] [+Chain Casting] [+Multicasting] [+Spell Retention] [+Improved Proficiency] - High Speed Mana Recovery [+Meditation] - Language Comprehension

* * *

Yuigahama Yui

Age: 17 - Female - Level: 67 - Job: Priest

Strength: 210

Vitality: 370

Defense: 340

Agility: 260

Magic: 1050

Magic Defense: 1050

Skills:

Recovery Magic Affinity [+Improved Proficiency] [+Increased Casting Speed] [+Image Supplementation] [+Piercing Spells] [+AoE Proficiency] [+Remote Healing] [+Improved Status Effect Recovery] [+Reduced Mana Consumption] [+Improved Mana Efficiency] [+Chain Casting] [+Multicasting] [+Spell Retention] [+Effect Multiplication] - Light Magic Affinity [+Speed Casting] [+Improved Proficiency] [+Increased Spell Duration] [+Chain Casting] [+Multicasting] [+Spell Retention] - High Speed Mana Recovery [+Meditation] - Language Comprehension

Moments later, Hayama started gathering the rest of the party up. They'd already explored most of the 89th floor. The passage they were heading down now was the only place they hadn't mapped.

After ten minutes of walking, the party discovered the stairs leading to the 90th floor. The group descended down the dim spiral staircase, warily examining their surroundings for traps. Ten meters worth of steps later, they found themselves on the 90th floor.

Every ten floors usually marked a turning point, so the party remained extremely vigilant as they stepped into the passageway. However, as far as everyone could tell, the 90th floor was no different from the 89th. They quickly started mapping out the area. Even if the overall structure of the labyrinth hadn't changed, they were bound to meet stronger monsters. They couldn't let their guard down.

At first the party's search progressed smoothly. Despite that, one by one, the party members began to grow suspicious.

"What the heck is going on?" The party arrived in a large empty room, and Hayama finally voiced the suspicions that had been growing in the back of his mind. Everyone else stopped and nodded. Confused expressions flitted over everyone's faces.

"How have we not seen a single monster even after exploring so much of the floor?" Excluding a few side paths, the party must have covered half of the floor already.

So far, they'd always run into monsters strong enough to at least slow them down on each floor. Normally it took them around two days to map out half of a floor.

This floor they'd managed to get through half of in just three hours.

At first Hayama had assumed they were lying low and observing the party from afar, but no matter how many times he tried to use Sense Presence and Sense Magic, he didn't find anything. Something strange was afoot.

"This is really starting to creep me out. Does this floor just not have monsters?" The others started muttering to each other, but no one could come up with a plausible explanation. Their confusion only grew.

"Hayama. Maybe we should head back for now. I have a bad feeling about this. And it's possible Captain Meld might know something that'll help." Yuigahama was clearly worried.

Hayama hesitated for a few seconds. He too had misgivings about continuing on like this. If they were intent on proceeding cautiously, the best course of action would indeed be to go back.

As Hayama was waffling, Tobe started scouting out the room. Spotting something, he stooped down and called out to the group in a nervous voice.

"Guys... this is... blood, right?" He ran his finger across the ground and held it up for everyone to see. Hayama started scrutinizing the walls and floor. As he did so, he noticed something.

"It's kind of dark so it's hard to tell, but... there's definitely blood splattered all over this room."

"Man, this is... a lot of blood..."

They stared grimly at the blood plastered over the walls. Both of them were now on high alert. Everyone's faces paled.

"Judging by the amount of blood here, whatever monster it was that did this killed every other monster on the floor..."

"Whoever attacked these monsters was trying to hide their tracks?"

Realizing what that meant, Hayama stretched out his Sense Presence as far as it would go, cautiously searching for enemies. He wasn't able to detect anything out of place.

"It's possible there are monsters that intelligent down here, but... it seems more likely this was the work of a person. And the fact that the bloodstains here haven't been wiped away means they didn't manage to cover their tracks in time or that-"

"This is the place we wanted to lure you to." An unfamiliar woman's voice echoed throughout the room. It was a husky, hoarse voice. Everyone drew their weapons and turned to face the voice at once.

Footsteps rang out on the stone floor as a young woman with fiery red hair walked into the room from the other side. Her skin was swarthy, and her ears tapered to fine points.

The students' eyes opened wide in surprise. They recognized those particular characteristics, if not the person. They'd never seen one in person before, but they knew from Ishtar's lectures what race she belonged to. According to the Holy Church, she was mankind's greatest enemy. In other words...

"A demon..." One of the students muttered quietly. A cold smile formed on the demon lady's face.

She looked over the shocked party of students. Her eyes were the same fiery crimson as her hair. She was dressed in something that resembled the biking suits that motorcyclists wore. The black suit hugged her body, emphasizing her ample curves, even in the dim light.

Some students blushed but they knew that now was neither the time nor the place for such thoughts.

"You, the one in the stupid shining armor. How about joining our side?" The demon flippantly asked Hayama to join their side.

"I'm inviting you to join us, the demons. I promise we'll treat you better than the humans have." The students were so stunned by the offer that it took them a second to comprehend it.

"...I refuse."

She didn't seem too perturbed by his refusal. In fact, she tried offering even more favorable conditions.

"What if I said you could bring your comrades with you? Do you still refuse?"

"The answer stays the same."

"I see. Well then, I have no need of you. I'll have you know, my orders weren't to bring you over no matter what. They were simply to convert you if it seemed possible. If the situation calls for it, we're allowed to eliminate you. Don't think we're soft enough to leave our opponents alive. Lutos, Habel, Enki. It's time to hunt!"

* * *

**Toaru Addenda**

* * *

Meanwhile, in the royal palace, news from an envoy was raising chaos.

"Your majesty! The city of Ur has fallen!"

"So it has begun..."

With a cold expression on his face, the king closed his eyes for a moment before starting to give orders.


	7. Chapter 7

They had no idea what had just hit them. At the woman's command, the space to the left and right of Hayama began to blend and warp. Something tumbled out of that rift in space and headed to the dumbfounded rearguard at high speed.

Only Hayama and Yukinoshita managed to see the surprise attack coming.

Hayama quickly held his sword and sheath in a cross formation in front of her to guard, while leaping backward to soften the impact of the blow. However, the strength of the attack was far beyond his expectations.

Whatever it was that hit him slammed him to the ground hard enough to knock the air out of his lungs.

Meanwhile, Yamato used his Body Strengthening and Diamond Skin skills to raise his base defensive stats. The two skills combined made his body a far more reliable shield than any armor. Most things would have found it difficult to break through that human fortress.

Still, that something managed to blow through his defenses and ravage his arms. Blood splattered to the ground as he was blown backward. He only remained standing because Totsuka, who'd been standing behind him, was able to catch him.

There was a sound of shattering glass as the barrier Yukinoshita had put up the instant before the attack was obliterated.

As it was, the shockwave from the barrier breaking flung her further back into the rearguard. Thanks to her enchanted cloak, she luckily avoided taking any direct damage, but her body was still temporarily paralyzed from the blow.

The three somethings instantly launched a follow-up attack. Hayama, Yukinoshita, and Yamato were all down for the count, and the remaining party members were unable to mount any kind of defense in time. Just as it seemed that all hope was lost-

"Holy light please protect us! Holy Blessing, Divine Veil, Sacred Shields!"

Yuigahama fired off three potent light spells at once with barely any incantation.

The first spell was an intermediate rank healing spell that she'd cast on Yamato and Yukinoshita, and Hayama, invigorating them. It was one of the few healing spells that could target multiple people from a distance.

Her next spell was targeted at the three invisible creatures. Pale violet light began to eclipse them. Thanks to that light, their outlines were visible to everyone for the first time.

The monsters outlined in pale light had the heads of lions, the legs and claws of dragons, the tails of snakes, and the wings of eagles. In other words, they were chimeras. Chances were the camouflage they used was their special magic. It not only hid them from sight, but also erased any trace of their presence. It was a quite dangerous skill, but it seemed they couldn't completely hide themselves while in motion. That was why the space around looked warped when they had attacked.

However, even with that, it was obvious that they couldn't compare with those monsters. Hayama and Yukinoshita, two of the party's best fighters, had been incapacitated in a single blow. Their strength was on a completely different level from the monster they'd been fighting on the last floor.

"Graaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" The Chimeras roared angrily and struck once more with their lethal claws. It seemed being revealed hadn't bothered them in the slightest.

The Chimeras' claws closed in on them. However, before reaching their targets, they found their attacks redirected. Shining shields of light had diverted the trajectory of their swipes. This was Yuigahama's third spell. Sacred Shields. It was the advanced version of a basic light spell. Holy Shield. Sacred Shields allowed the caster to deploy multiple Holy Shields at once.

She positioned the shield the shields an angle that could deflect the Chimeras attacks, rather than block them outright. The way she'd masterfully used the enemies' strength against them felt more like an advanced martial arts move than a magic spell.

Enraged at having their attacks deflected, the Chimeras made to strike again. Yuigahama had only managed to buy her teammates a second. In the end, her efforts were still nothing more than a futile struggling of a weakling.

But that one moment she'd gained made all the difference. Hayama had no intention of letting her efforts be in vain.

"Get off of Yui!" With the one second she'd bought, Hayama used his Supersonic Step to interpose himself between Yuigahama and the Chimera. He'd moved so fast that he'd left afterimages in his wake. His holy sword shimmered in the air as he swung at the Chimera's neck, aiming to decapitate it.

At the same time, the other students made their move.

Yamato thrust his hand towards the Chimera targeting Yukinoshita. Figuring he didn't have time to rush all the way over, he'd instead opted to fire off a shockwave. He gathered his mana into his hands. Still, Yamato wasn't the only one to strike.

"Swallow them whole, O crimson mother- Flame Tide!" Miura stuck out her staff and cast a powerful spell as well. As the name suggested, Flame Tide was an intermediate rank fire spell that summoned a wave of fire the caster could freely control. Even agile enemies had a hard time dodging this spell.

Hayama's sword swung down at the Chimera faster than human eyes could follow, all the force of gravity behind the swing. Yamato's shockwave shot out of his hand with the force of a cannonball, aftershocks trailing in its wake. Miura's crimson wave of death surged forward, reducing everything it touched to ash.

However-

"Graaaaaaaaaah!" They'd been more enemies waiting in the wings. Just before their attacks landed home, two new shadows suddenly appeared and charged at Hayama and Yamato.

"What the!?" Chills ran down their spines.

The two shadows reached their targets and swung down their heavy metal maces.

Hayama nimbly twisted his body out of the way, using the centrifugal force of his swing to accelerate his dodge. Meanwhile, Yamato bought up his left first and blocked the mace outright.

Hayama lost his balance and tumbled to the ground, while Yamato was blown away by the shadow's follow-up punch. The monsters that had caught them by surprise were two two-meter tall giants that looked like Bulltaurs. But Bulltaurs, like Orcs and Ogres, tended to have pig-like faces. These two giants that had attacked them had much more intelligent features. They looked like what one might get if they took a Bulltaur and refined its face into something more pleasant. And both their strength and their speed were far greater than that of any Bulltaur's.

"What the hell are these things!?"

"Damn it, where do they keep popping up from!?"

The students were confused and overwhelmed by the powerful monsters that had appeared out of seemingly nowhere. Just then-

"Gah!?" Ooka cried out in pain as he slammed into the ground between the two of them.

"Ngh, be careful everyone! There's more we can't see! They are everywhere!" Shouted Hayama.

The monsters were coming in and out of existence with a power that made them invisible and covered their presence. There was no telling how many enemies were hidden from them.

And as if to prove Hayama's statement, monsters suddenly appeared one after another surrounding.

"No way..." The shock was too much for most of them. They were staring blankly at their enemies.

"Looks like you're having a hard time. How about it? Feel like joining our side yet? If you give up now, I might still be willing to let you." The demon folded her arms and watched as Hayama and the others struggled to keep the monsters at bay. Her cold stare made it clear that she already knew what his reply was going to be, though. She was taunting them.

Hayama didn't answer immediately this time. It was indeed a tempting offer but he knew better than to trust the words of an enemy. She had too much leverage over them. It would be too risky. Rather than to walk into a trap, he was going to gamble instead. Making a signal to his group as he yelled.

"Like hell we will! Your petty threats won't work on us! Just you watch, we'll beat you and your monster army! Take this- Limit Break!" He angrily swatted back the Super Bulltaur's mace and activated his most powerful skill.

Limit Break continuously drained his mana, but in exchange, it tripled all of his stats. However, the skill literally pushed his body past its limits, so he couldn't maintain it for long. Furthermore, it left him drained and exhausted once the skill wore off. Though this skill was his trump card, it came with dire consequences that needed to be taken into consideration.

"Light of Judgement, smite mine enemies- Sword of Light!"

Pointing his sword at the demon Hayama summoned an incredibly brilliant light that flooded the floor with light.

Nevertheless, magical chains instantly rose from the ground and created a wall that shielded her completely from Hayama's attack.

"Sorry, but if this is the best you've got, it's nowhere near good enough." The demon wanted to laugh at how pathetic their struggles were. Overpowered or not by her numerous monsters, she still expected more from humanity's strongest humans. However, her good mood was instantly erased when she saw that the students were nowhere to be seen.

"Tch! Don't let them escape!" Realizing their intentions, Cattleya, the demon, was enraged at being fooled. Quickly dashing in pursuit to prevent them from escaping. The chimeras, four-eyed wolves, and black cats were all agile creatures, hence they closed the gap at an alarming speed.

The young heroes had taken advantage of Hayama's bluff and ran for the exit. Summoning various obstacles to throw off their pursuers.

"Dark Gaol!" Miura fired off gray spheres that exploded in front of the charging monsters and the ceiling, Making it collapse besides creating a smokescreen, effectively hiding her and the others from view as well as blocking the path of the monsters.

"Was anyone left behind!?"

"No!"

"Good! Yukinoshita, did you manage to send an SOS signal!?"

"Our backup is on their way!"

While they ran, Ooka called upon a big amount of his mana to use a skill that hid all their tracks, erased their scents, and silenced the noise they produced. It was one of his derivatives skills, 'Stealth', pushed to the limit to wrap all the members of the party in it. Incredibly useful as it was, it still fell short compared to the overpowered concealment skill that the demon had used to ambush them.

The monsters' angry howls slowly faded into the distance as the group of students ran. Humbled and defeated, the party trudged up the stairs leading to the 89th floor.


	8. Chapter 8

Somewhere deep within the 78th floor, there was an octagonal room with exits on four sides. There was also a concealed room that existed on one side, in between two of the exits. It wasn't terribly large, but it made for a great hiding spot.

Hayama and the others were currently cooped up inside, taking a short break. They had been running for hours without resting. Their expressions were dark despite being only eight floors away from the teleportation circle they found on the 70th floor that connected to the 30th floor.

Normally this would be where Hayama roused his companions with one of his characteristically charismatic speeches. However, the situation was far too grim for him to come up with anything worthwhile. He silently sat against the wall, his lips utterly sealed.

One single demon was all it took to wreck their fantasy of an adventure in which they were the heroes of the story. They were being hunted like rats.

Clicking his tongue, Hayama stood up with a scowl.

"We need to get going."

The ragged breaths of most students indicated that they were far from rested but they couldn't stay still much longer. It was game over the moment their chasers found them. They couldn't afford to lose more time.

No one said anything as they continued their run towards the surface. Ooka's spell had worn off hours ago, hence their footsteps could be heard echoing through the walls of the dark dungeon.

* * *

**Toaru Addenda**

* * *

There was a loud thud as the shimmering outline of a gigantic humanoid monster with horse heads smashed against the magic circle that connected to the 30th floor.

Cattleya was just a few meters behind them. She had figured out that the heroes were going to rush straight for the room with the teleportation circle, so she directly destroyed the array while planning to wait for them in this room as the stairs were right next to it.

She hadn't found any of them while going up but she knew for a fact that they hadn't been able to escape either. The heroes must have been hiding somewhere. All she needed to do was to wait for them for the time being.

There always was the option of searching the floors completely one by one, but it would take much longer. She didn't think that the spoiled brats would prefer to starve to death anyway.

What she didn't expect at all was someone teleporting from the 30th floor as lines of magic started flowing into the broken pieces of the former array. It appeared to be that destroying one of the dual arrays didn't prevent the other side from sending backup.

There was a short silence as all her minions returned to their invisible state while closely guarding her.

A single figure equipped with bulking metallic objects materialized shortly after.

"Tch... Just one of them, huh...?" She flicked back her bangs and stared at the new arrival.

He had some sort of antennas that slowly moved back and forth as he met her eyes.

The moment their eyes locked, shivers ran down her spine. Which confused her. The man was clearly a mere human but she was feeling threatened by his presence.

Chasing away those thoughts, she readied for battle. There was no way that a single man would be able to defeat her, especially without being able to see the hidden monsters.

"Kill him." She pointed at the human, ordering her monsters to attack.

Unnerved, he simply pointed forward his metal staff and pulled a small lever.

One of the loudest sounds she ever heard assaulted her ears for a split second as everything went silent. Her sense of hearing had been damaged by whatever the human did.

Opening the eyes she had inadvertently closed, she saw Ahatod, her strongest monster, thrashing wildly on the ground as it lost copious amounts of blood from a gaping hole in its chest.

Flashes of light appeared one after another from the metal staff and corpses were left in its wake.

Most of them with their heads blown away slumped on the ground, dead.

"H-How did he know..." Cattleya could not hide her surprise as he killed her supposedly invisible minions.

Hachiman just switched to his shotgun and continued to shoot when the monsters closed on him. They didn't seem to ever harm him as he effortlessly kept all of them at an arm's length away.

The fight was too one-sided to be called a battle. It was a slaughter. She couldn't believe how easily her monsters were being killed.

Heedless of anything but their orders, the monsters continued attacking in waves. Had they not been mind-controlled, they likely would have fled.

A few black cats got behind Hachiman and tried to launch their tentacles from his blind spot. However, he just spun around and decapitated all of them with an insanely powerful kick.

His power, dexterity, and agility were out of this world.

Next, a pack of four-eyed wolves surrounded Hachiman from two sides. And yet, he discarded his empty magazines and immediately reloaded before mowing down the wolves leaping at him. The reinforced bullets fired from practically point-blank ranged destroyed not only the wolves' skulls but their bodies as well.

Another cat leaped on top of a Chimera and used the Chimera's camouflage to launch a barrage of invisible tentacles. Still, none of them reached their mark. Hachiman was simply too fast. Dodging, he dropped the Chimera along with the black cat with an axe kick.

Two Bulltaurs moved to flank him. Their maces tore through the air with great force. Hachiman simply ducked out of the way and tripped the Bulltaurs while he was at it.

"Guh!?" Both of them let out a surprised shout as they crashed into each other. While the two of them were hugging each other, Hachiman had fired off another volley of bullets. The Bulltaurs died in each other's arms.

Another eight cats leaped into the air, trying to hit him with a synchronized attack. This time they relied on their claws rather than their tentacles.

Hachiman's two arms moved independently of each other. With his right, he mowed down the enemies in from of him, while with his left, he shot down everything behind him.

Each and every bullet would meet its mark without fail. This was the result of Hachiman's superhuman reflexes. To his perception, he was fighting targets moving in slow motion.

He fluidly moved to a corner of the room that was easy to defend, then took down his enemies with lethal precision. Every single one of his moves linked perfectly to the next. They were backed by a level of experience that only the oldest M.A.R.S rankers were able to match.

A smile played about Hachiman's lips. It wasn't that he was deriving pleasure from sampling his enemies. It was just the adrenaline rush that came with injecting himself with the serum.

Having his physical attributes multiplied exponentially along with squashing bugs reminded him of experiences he didn't know he missed.

Just as he ran out of ammo again, another wave of monsters charged.

Hachiman leaped a few meters into the air, did a somersault, and reloaded while upside-down. He moved so fart that the Chimeras and four-eyed wolves lost sight of him for a second. While they were still looking around in confusion, Hachiman dealt them all with finishing blows.

Blood and flesh flew everywhere. A Bultaur charged, hoping to take advantage of the moment Hachiman landed.

But he never did. By transmuting the air, he launched himself further into the air. He took aim and decimated not only the Bulltaur but many of the Chimeras and wolves waiting behind them as well. One after another, the charging monsters fell dead, their inertia carrying them into a massive pile of corpses growing directly below Hachiman.

He landed gracefully atop the devastation he had wrought. He once again paused momentarily to reload. And just as he finished, one of the monsters let out a strange screech.

Hachiman turned to see Absod, a giant turtle, staring at him, with its mouth opened wide. A sphere of white light was growing inside its mouth.

It absorbed mana from the surroundings and fired. The light cut through the ground as it traveled towards Hachiman, carving out a huge groove in the rock.

Hachiman calmly watched it happen and nonchalantly waited for the light to strike. There was a distortion in the space it was heading to and was easily deflected.

The walls behind him were vaporized but he was unscathed. Transmutation magic truly was broken beyond comprehension.

The demon, finally out of her reverie, started desperately to chant an unknown spell. Hachiman just pulled the trigger. White feathers rained down around her.

The raven that had been resting on her until now had been killed.

Absod didn't even have time to react before supersonic bullets had consigned it to the void.

The raven had also been decimated in an instant, without ever realizing what had hit it.

The shockwave from the pellets had been strong enough to throw Cattleya off-balance. She tumbled to the ground and absentmindedly touched her cheek. It was splattered with the raven's blood, and it stung to the touch. The friction and heat had been enough to burn her cheek.

If her head had been just a few inches closer to the raven, she would have died then and there.

Still, even though she was still alive, it was already over for her. Her supposedly invincible monster army was being steamrolled with unbelievable ease. She knew that he could kill her whenever he chose to. Her life was utterly and completely in the palm of his head. Until now she'd had great pride in her unbreakable warrior's spirit. Faced with Hachiman's overwhelming strength, however, that spirit was crumbling. Nothing she did would be able to scratch this devil in a human's skin.

 _What the hell is he? How does someone like him even exist? And how am I going to survive against him?_ Questions whirled around inside the demon's hand, but no answers presented themselves.

Many of the same questions were going through Hayama's and the other's minds too. They had been attracted to the commotion and were astonished by what was happening.


End file.
